With the Premiere Dance Center Season 19 Portraits quickly approaching, I thought I’d post a throwback to last year’s portraits. Yearly photos have been a tradition at PDC for 19 years now, and I’ve been lucky enough to capture them for the last 5 (...I think?). This particular dance studio holds a special place in my heart because I was a student there throughout high school, have been teaching for them on and off for the last 14 years, and currently instruct and choreograph for their competition team. This day is always so much fun, keep reading to learn more!
Over the years these photos have evolved from a simple headshot with a team jacket, to a full-blown production that we spend a couple months preparing for. We now do three looks: the team jacket headshot, an all-black theme, and a wildcard theme that varies by year.
For Season 18 we played with a “Fashion Forward” theme. Working with the creative team at PDC, we came up with a color palette and sourced loads of inspirational imagery to help guide wardrobe selection. The dancers were then able to put together their own outfits within the given guidelines.
These annual portraits offer a unique opportunity for the dancers to express themselves artistically while simultaneously practicing skills that are essential for any professional dancer. Sourcing appropriate wardrobe, knowing your angles and how to pose, makeup application, and hairstyling are all subjects that the dancers are guided through. Beyond the obvious benefits in preparing the dancers for the industry, we have an absolute blast!
One of my favorite parts is seeing how each dancer chooses to express their unique style. I was SO impressed with the wardrobe our Season 18 Company came up with and I am so looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with for the Season 19 Portraits!
HUGE thanks to Dana Douthwaite, Caitlin Ambler, and Kristina Morris who assisted me with last year’s portraits!
This session was shot on a Canon 5d mkiii using a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 lens, Paul C Buff Einstein strobe, Photek SoftLighter Umbrella, and reflectors when needed. All images were color corrected in Lightroom and retouched in Photoshop when necessary using a Wacom tablet.
Thanks for reading!
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Seattle portrait & dance photographer and makeup artist Dakota Elizabeth is a visual storyteller committed to quality imagery that withstands the tests of time.
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